A funny tablebase cook of a Pogosyants study
Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 12:01 am
Almost always, tablebases play the endgame perfectly, giving a definitive result for each position. However, tablebases do not account for the castling rule because it is a little complicated to include it, and it is not really necessary for practical purposes. Nevertheless, I was amused to find this study, which seemed to expose this weakness of the tablebase:
http://www.gadycosteff.com/eg/eg56.pdf#page=5
"Castling in Studies"
E. Pogosyants
EG 56, June 1978, page 5
FEN: 8/8/7r/3N4/8/8/7P/R3K2k
8/8/7r/3N4/8/8/7P/R3K2k
The composer's solution is 1. Ne3 Rxh2 2. O-O-O mate! Side variations are 1...Kxh2 2. Ng4+ and 1...Re6 2. Kf2+ Kxh2 3. Ng4+ Kh3 4. Kf3 Kh4 5. Kf4 and either 5...Kh3 6. Ra2 or 5...Kh5 6. Kf5.
Naturally, the tablebase thinks that 1. Ne3 Rxh2 is a draw because it assumes that White cannot castle. However, the tablebase gets the last laugh: after 1. h4!! White mates in 33 moves. Black's best defense is 1...Kg2 2. Ne3+ Kf3 3. Ra3! Re6 4. Kf1 Kg3 5. Ng2 etc. Of course, Black can force an ending of R+N vs. R, but that doesn't save him either: 1...Rxh4 2. Kf2+! Kh2 3. Ra6 Kh3 4. Kf3! Rh7 5. Nf4+ Kh2 6. Kf2 Rh8 7. Rf6 Rh4 8. Rf5 Rh6 9. Ng6 Kh1 10. Nh4 Ra6 (10...Rxh4 is no better) 11. Kg3 Ra3+ 12. Nf3 Ra5! (sets a stalemate trap if White takes the rook) 13. Rf4 Ra4! 14. Nd4 Ra3+ 15. Kf2 Ra2+ 16. Ne2! and White mates shortly.
It is beside the point that Pogosyants's study can be corrected by placing a Black pawn on g4. This adds an insignificant side variation 1. Ne3 g3 2. Ke2+ Kxh2 3. Ng4+, but otherwise the solution does not change.
The point is that there is an endgame study with two solutions. The human (Pogosyants) could not find the tablebase solution, and the tablebase ( http://www.k4it.de/index.php?topic=egtb&lang=en ) could not find the human solution! This situation may be unique, or almost unique, in the history of chess. Can anyone find another example?
http://www.gadycosteff.com/eg/eg56.pdf#page=5
"Castling in Studies"
E. Pogosyants
EG 56, June 1978, page 5
FEN: 8/8/7r/3N4/8/8/7P/R3K2k
8/8/7r/3N4/8/8/7P/R3K2k
The composer's solution is 1. Ne3 Rxh2 2. O-O-O mate! Side variations are 1...Kxh2 2. Ng4+ and 1...Re6 2. Kf2+ Kxh2 3. Ng4+ Kh3 4. Kf3 Kh4 5. Kf4 and either 5...Kh3 6. Ra2 or 5...Kh5 6. Kf5.
Naturally, the tablebase thinks that 1. Ne3 Rxh2 is a draw because it assumes that White cannot castle. However, the tablebase gets the last laugh: after 1. h4!! White mates in 33 moves. Black's best defense is 1...Kg2 2. Ne3+ Kf3 3. Ra3! Re6 4. Kf1 Kg3 5. Ng2 etc. Of course, Black can force an ending of R+N vs. R, but that doesn't save him either: 1...Rxh4 2. Kf2+! Kh2 3. Ra6 Kh3 4. Kf3! Rh7 5. Nf4+ Kh2 6. Kf2 Rh8 7. Rf6 Rh4 8. Rf5 Rh6 9. Ng6 Kh1 10. Nh4 Ra6 (10...Rxh4 is no better) 11. Kg3 Ra3+ 12. Nf3 Ra5! (sets a stalemate trap if White takes the rook) 13. Rf4 Ra4! 14. Nd4 Ra3+ 15. Kf2 Ra2+ 16. Ne2! and White mates shortly.
It is beside the point that Pogosyants's study can be corrected by placing a Black pawn on g4. This adds an insignificant side variation 1. Ne3 g3 2. Ke2+ Kxh2 3. Ng4+, but otherwise the solution does not change.
The point is that there is an endgame study with two solutions. The human (Pogosyants) could not find the tablebase solution, and the tablebase ( http://www.k4it.de/index.php?topic=egtb&lang=en ) could not find the human solution! This situation may be unique, or almost unique, in the history of chess. Can anyone find another example?